Longmen Thought This Was a Pretty Good Deal

"Honestly, the title One-Eyed King sounds way more badass than something like Konoha Sannin, doesn't it?"

After grumbling, Nagato didn't dwell on it. He rose as if nothing had happened and said, "I'll leave Konan's training to you from now on. Don't let me catch you holding anything back!"

What the hell had Jiraiya taught her all those years? Konan still didn't have a proper big move, and relied on Explosive Tags whenever she fought. He couldn't let her get fooled again this time.

Tsunade impatiently waved a hand to show she wasn't that kind of person. She'd already gotten a good deal out of this, so she wasn't going to be stingy and pull something like that.

Nagato nodded, turned around with a smile on his face, and slowly walked out of the room.

"That silly old woman. What was she thinking, agreeing to work for me for free? She probably doesn't know that Akatsuki's intel isn't worth a thing. If I hadn't disrupted Obito's plan, that Uchiha idiot would've already blabbed everything to the whole world..."

Was there any Akatsuki intel that was still a secret? No. She could ask about anything she wanted. This was a deal with no downside for him.

Nagato wasn't at all surprised that Tsunade had eventually agreed to join Akatsuki.

The title of Konoha Sannin she shared with Jiraiya and Orochimaru had been bestowed on them by Hanzo as an insult, after they were defeated in Amegakure. Hanzo's exact words back then had been, "I'll give you the title of Konoha Sannin. Tell me your names, and you can pay for your lives with them."

That was only a little nicer than what Itachi had said to Sasuke: "Run for your life. Live in shame." In essence, he was still making them obediently accept their dog tags.

So the idea that Tsunade wouldn't yield under threat was just an illusion. If she really didn't know how to yield, she'd have died at Hanzo's hands long ago.

Orochimaru, who claimed to understand Tsunade better than anyone in the world, had also tried to threaten her into healing his arms. That alone said a lot.

Nagato didn't consider himself someone who liked using violence to force his opponents, though no one would believe him if he said so.

But his confidence in poaching Tsunade wasn't just because she was his prisoner and had no real choice. It was also because he knew how bad her relationship with Konoha was.

Most people in this world only knew that she was the Fifth Hokage, the princess of the Senju clan, and one of the Konoha Sannin. They didn't know what she'd felt when she left Konoha and wandered the Shinobi World for more than a decade.

Nagato didn't know those things either, of course. But as someone who'd crossed over from another world, he knew how firmly she'd refused when Jiraiya had found her and asked her to become the Fifth Hokage. He also knew what choice she might have made when Orochimaru offered her a deal, if Naruto hadn't Talk no Jutsu'd her.

Jiraiya had even been prepared to kill Tsunade at the time. Orochimaru's words—"The Hokage is a useless position. Only fools would want to be Hokage"—were basically identical to what Tsunade had said when she rejected Jiraiya's offer of the Hokage Position.

People in this world couldn't be divided into right and wrong so simply. Assuming that certain things could only be done by certain people, and that others would never do them, was just wishful thinking.

During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Tsunade had said to Orochimaru, who had come to help the Five Kage, "If you'd become the person you are now sooner, Jiraiya wouldn't have died."

Orochimaru had replied, "Then perhaps Jiraiya would have changed."

The Konoha Sannin had shared many of the same ideas. They simply tended to make different choices when faced with the same situation.

That was another reason Nagato favored Tsunade. What the old woman had said—"Hatred is a desecration of the sacrifices made by one's comrades"—was exactly what he wanted to hear. In his eyes, only someone like Tsunade was fit to be a comrade.

He couldn't trust her as much as he trusted Konan, but rather than risk being stabbed in the back while dealing with the Uchihas, he'd rather recruit more people like Tsunade into the organization.

Orochimaru had become obsessed with forbidden techniques and attacked Konoha, but it had all started simply because his parents had been killed. Tsunade's entire clan had died, but she hadn't turned into a freak like Orochimaru. Madara Uchiha and the inheritor of his will, Obito Uchiha, had sought revenge on the Uchiha Clan simply because they believed those red-eyed fools had betrayed Madara, their clan leader, by refusing to leave Konoha with him.

By comparison, Konoha had treated Tsunade, its Hokage, far worse, yet she didn't seem to harbor any resentment.

After all, she was the Fifth Hokage. She'd fought desperately to the bitter end to defend Konoha against Pain and the others. But what had happened? The emperor went to war in person while his ministers usurped power. The moment Pain kidnapped her, Konoha chose a Sixth Hokage and ignored its former Hokage. How was that any different from betrayal?

Someone more selfish wouldn't have needed Nagato to persuade them. They'd have been crying and begging to join Akatsuki so they could take revenge on Konoha.

Nagato also knew perfectly well that although Tsunade was the Fifth Hokage and the princess of the Senju clan, she was only glorious on the surface. Behind the scenes, she and Konoha had long been at odds.

In the original timeline, even after she'd defeated Pain with Naruto's help and Nagato had revived the people of Konoha with the Samsara of Heavenly Life, she still lost her Hokage Position. While she was unconscious, Danzo successfully seized power. If Sasuke hadn't cut Danzo down, what chance would she have had of competing with him for the position?

Tsunade's conflict with the High Command had already reached its breaking point.

When Pain attacked Konoha, she'd been arguing fiercely with the village's two advisors over whether Naruto should take part in the battle. In return, Danzo went straight into the Hokage Office and killed the toad who'd been in contact with Mount Myoboku.

Danzo had basically been propped up by Konoha's High Command to deal with her. Tsunade knew that perfectly well.

Danzo had hated Tsunade from the start because she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage. He'd never bothered to hide his attitude toward the Third Hokage or Tsunade, either.

That was why the Third Hokage had suppressed him, leaving him powerless for a time. And for the same reason, he'd been able to rise again and reclaim his power. It was all a result of the deteriorating relationship between the High Command and Tsunade.

Tsunade, a Senju princess? Glorious and all-powerful? What a joke. Danzo had stood right in front of Sakura and told Tsunade that he hoped Yamato wouldn't be influenced by the cowardly Third Hokage, just as the Third Hokage had been influenced by her grandfather. His words had been a direct jab at Tsunade's grandfather, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. And what could Tsunade do as Hokage? Nothing. She could only glare at Danzo.

When Pain attacked Konoha, Danzo had led Root into hiding underground and left Tsunade to sacrifice herself. No matter how you looked at it, that was blatant betrayal. Yet he'd still managed to become Hokage. Who would believe the High Command hadn't allowed it?

Did the High Command not know what Danzo was doing? Were they blind? Couldn't they see whether he'd taken part in the battle?

It was simply a tacit conspiracy to betray her together. People only knew that the Third Hokage was weak and Danzo Shimura was sinister. They didn't know that the two advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, were the most despicable of all.

Those two were about the same age as the Third Hokage and Danzo. They'd been teammates and students of the Second Hokage, yet they'd never done a thing for Konoha in its hour of need.

The Third Hokage had been able to die gloriously for Konoha. Danzo had become the Shinobi World's scapegoat for Konoha. And what had the two advisors, Koharu and Homura, done? Whenever something happened to Konoha, they hid away to protect themselves. Once the crisis had passed, they immediately came forward to fight for power.

These people had long since grown corrupt. They'd gotten used to enjoying power but never wanted to make sacrifices. That was why they hated Tsunade, the so-called "princess," and betrayed her alongside their old friend Danzo, pushing him into the Hokage Position.

Did Tsunade really not know? Did she not know that the High Command had always supported Danzo? How could she not?

So when Tsunade said she didn't harbor resentment, Nagato thought she was truly remarkable. That was another reason he was willing to work so hard to win her over.

Just think about it: the Senju clan had fought for Konoha until Tsunade was the only one left, and Konoha had been built on the strength of the Senju clan. The current advisors, Danzo included, had all been trained by her great-uncle. They'd even been willing to sacrifice their own lives so those old bastards could survive. And what had the Senju clan received in return? Nothing but blatant betrayal. Danzo had even badmouthed Hashirama Senju right in front of Tsunade, without a thought for whether he had any right to. It was clear these people had lost their minds in their pursuit of power.

Faced with a group like that, after being betrayed so despicably, Tsunade had still managed to maintain a healthy outlook. That kindness of character was what Nagato valued most about her.

First, he'd tried to influence Tsunade's attitude by bringing up Jiraiya's and Itachi's self-sacrifice for the sake of intel, hoping to make her less resistant to joining Akatsuki.

Then he'd told her that Konoha had already chosen a Sixth Hokage and brought up the Uchiha clan's revenge, hinting at Konoha's corruption. He'd even threatened her with violence, saying he'd help Sasuke attack Konoha and kill its villagers. Finally, he'd magnanimously agreed to give her all of Akatsuki's intel. Those had all been tactics Nagato used to win her over.

He'd already racked his brains trying to convince her to join Akatsuki. Even his apparent lack of seriousness—which really was an act, wasn't it?—had only been to lower Tsunade's guard.

The final result hadn't been quite what he'd hoped for, but at least it was passable. He'd gotten a private tutor for free, which wasn't a bad outcome, right?

In this pleasant mood, Nagato walked farther and farther away until he disappeared from Tsunade's sight.

Before long, Konan had also finished introducing herself to Tsunade under her new identity, and had answered a few of Tsunade's questions.

"Ahem! Ahem!" Just as Konan was about to turn and leave, Tsunade cleared her throat loudly and pointedly glanced at the dirty plates on the table.

"Hm? Do you want me to find someone to clean those up?" Confusion showed in Konan's eyes.

Tsunade glared at her, deeply displeased.

"Oh..." Konan finally understood. "The cook took the logistics ninja to buy ingredients. They should be bringing the food over soon."

Tsunade contentedly narrowed her eyes and waved for Konan to leave. Taking this disciple had been a good deal.

Konan walked lightly out of the room, puzzled by Tsunade's excitement. She hadn't planned to leave Tsunade hungry, had she? After thinking it over, she decided that since she'd be learning ninjutsu from Tsunade, she might as well show a little more goodwill and go hurry the logistics department along.

A few minutes later, a Rain ninja had just finished washing the biggest iron pot and was about to start cooking when he heard that Angel had sent someone to hurry the food along for those two. Tears of bitterness streamed down his face.

He let out a roar, grabbed his spatula, and plunged into the smoky kitchen to fight for his life!

Plate after plate of food began making its way from the kitchen to the two bottomless eaters.

Tsunade and Hinata caught the aroma of the food and smiled in unison. Then, almost involuntarily, they glanced at each other, and sparks seemed to crackle in the air...

"I won't lose to you!" Their eyes conveyed the same message.

Then, like undefeated generals at the dinner table, they solemnly picked up their chopsticks at the same time.

"Chomp, chomp..."

Amid the frantic chewing, the pile of dirty plates on the table in front of them continued to grow.

The Rain ninja assigned to logistics watched this frightening scene, their faces turning paler and paler, then purplish, until they were black as soot.

They said people from the Land of Rain liked to cry, but right now, they really weren't crying. It was just that the rain kept falling, falling so hard I could no longer see you. When the skies finally cleared, would you two please eat a little more slowly?